In Sickness and In Health
by TheAnimeWriterLover
Summary: After a trip to Italy, Vlad met a woman who taught him what it is like to love and have real friendship. She was nothing like Maddie Fenton. Soon, he turned a new leaf altogether. At some point, the couple became engaged. Now, she was sick and they won't be alone for long. Not when the Fenton family comes to visit with one particular agenda of a certain someone.


**Challenge:** **One of them is sick**

 **A/N: I can't do accents for the life of me and I'm using Google Translate, so take it easy on me.**

 **Enjoy!**

Vlad prided himself as a dangerous, intelligent man. His brilliant mind earned him billions of dollars, almost going onto trillion. His business was a success, which brought him both fame and wealth. He could create almost anything and get his hands on everything that he ever wanted. That was, except for one thing:

Maddie Fenton

Love knew nothing about fame and wealth. It had no boundaries and could care less about those around them. It was as if Aphrodite herself created a love potion so strong that nothing could break it. After the accident, Vlad gained a lot of things, but lost the two things that he ever wanted. He lost the love of his life and a chance for a family to that ogre Jack Fenton. They left him alone in that hospital for so long, with only pain and loneliness to fuel his emotions. It changed him to the man that he was today. No, the man that he _used_ to be. After a year of fighting Daniel Fenton, aka Danny Phantom, Vlad ran into one person in Italy that changed everything.

Michelangela Aita. She was a fellow billionaire in her early 30s that was everything that Maddie wasn't and yet was.

The Italian woman appeared plain looking, when one put her next to her Italian peers. Yet, her passion and personality more than made up for it. She loved life and never went one day without a bright smile and a few jokes thrown around. She spent her time between her hobbies, which were quite harmless in comparison to Maddie. While he focused on the science side of things, she cared more for the arts. No, she _loves_ the arts with her whole being. It appeared through her several successful businesses around the world. She sold jewelry, glasses and fashion related things. These businesses started from scratch, much like him. Due to that, it was of no wonder or surprise that she was also a dangerous woman. Her brown chocolate eyes twinkled with that small, almost invisible sadistic smirk. Her hands, which flew everywhere like a typical Italian, became more focused. They had a purpose but yet not at the same time. The way she walked. The way her accent became more pronounced. That, or she switched back to her mother language altogether. The way she presented herself to the world with her head held high.

She was like Maddie, but yet not at the same time.

When he met her, Vlad felt like he was at the lowest point in his life. Sure he had the money and fame, but what about love and care? He had nothing to come back to in America other than an empty house filled with servants. And Jack all but rubbed it in his face of everything that he could have, but didn't. It only further fueled that darkness. Of course, that big oaf didn't do it on purpose, but to him, it felt like it. To add insult to injury, when Maddie found out about his feelings to her, she rejected him on the spot. Then there was Danny Fenton, the constant reminder of the Fenton couple's betrayal. That year since Vlad reunited with them has been the worse year in his life. At least in the hospital he wasn't reminded of it all.

But ever since he met Michelangela, his Angel, things have changed.

The changes were small, almost unnoticeable. When she found out about his lonely life, the woman made it her life mission to drag him out of his hotel room to enjoy life. Unlike their wealthy peers, she dragged him to the more common and not expensive places in Italy. She showed him Rome, Florence and much more. When he tried to sneak away, the brown headed woman grabbed his shoulder and took him somewhere else. Sometimes she took him out to the country sides. That was when he first learned of her passion for photography. The things she took pictures of were worthy of a yawn, but the outcome caught his breath. She gave her namesake justice. She created things of wonder, like the famous Michelangelo. The way Michelangela took in the light of the sun, moon or stars. Her rare quiet, patient form rested on the ground, with no care for the soil and bugs, as she waited for the right moment. Her vast knowledge on small random things made her photographs even more beautiful.

At some point, Vlad got used to the routine. He was ready by 6 AM before she barged in and dragged him away. He found it comforting when they ate together. Her nonstop talkative-self filled in the silence. He took her car keys from her the minute she took them out and stated there was no way in hell he'd let her drive. Instead, he'd do it since he had temporary driver licence. Their small bickering had no bite anymore, but it was more so for amusements. Her average singing voice filled the car as she sang in Italian along with classic songs on the radio. It was odd, but Vlad found the whole thing… refreshing. Not once during the trip has he thought about the Fenton family.

By the time that he had to head back to America, he experienced a rare feeling. He didn't want to go back but stay in Italy, with his new friend. There shouldn't be any problems, since he had more than enough money to help him stay. But he had to go, a sad but smiling Michelangela said. Technology was on their side. They used their cell phones and video chats after he returned to America. It wasn't that often, at first. They tried to create a routine, which failed half the time. During that time, it was not even a few months before Vlad went back to his old ways, when he ran into the Fenton family. Yet, at the same time, he _didn't_ go back to his old ways. Not when his Angel continued to call him to cheer him up. It didn't matter to her that it was 1 AM at her place, since it was the only time they could talk due to their businesses. That much time and care has softened the man and soon, his time as Plasmius became less and less. It was to the point that 6 months after his return, he stopped altogether. Why did he need to seek out power and test Danny Phantom when he had all that he wanted? Sure, power would be nice, but it had nothing on friendship. Along with that, Vlad Master also walked out of the Fenton family's life. It wasn't on purpose, it happened without any of them realizing it. Without him forcing interaction between them, the family soon forgot about him altogether.

It didn't matter to him. Vlad was content being where he was. Never once has he mentioned the family or his powers to his Angel, which was for the best. If she ever found out, he had no idea how he'd explain any of this to her.

This friendship turned into love somewhere along the way. It became most clear when Michelangela came for a surprise visit and he called her his Angel. 4 years later, they became engaged. The Italian woman moved in with him, since it'd be easier on the duo. She had several equal branches all around the world, including in America. That meant she could do her business in peace with only a few flights here and there. Of course, Vlad did also, but his main branch was in America. It'd be hard for him to do any business when he was a continent and ocean away.

But out of all those years, Vlad never saw Michelangela sick. She had a sniffle here and there, but _never_ a serious sickness.

Vlad watched with helpless blue eyes at the figure that lay in their share bed. The figure gave out a rough, dry cough. It almost made the thermometer move out of its position from her mouth. Her closed brown eyes opened a bit and looked at him, but with a foggy look. The man sat on the edge of the bed and leaned over to stroke her cheek. Michelangela turned her head and leaned against the hand with closed eyes. He felt her shivers and sweats under his hand, causing him to worry even more. She already had a few heavy blankets on her and it wasn't enough. And her tanned skin turned pale with little colour returning. A few beeping noises alerted the man of the thermometer finished results. He took it out to stare at the result.

"95 F" He sighed. "You're getting better, but it's been a few days now. I'll need to call a doctor."

"No" The woman whined and pulled up the blanket over her head. "No medico **(1)**."

"I know you hate doctors, my Angel, but this is going on for too long. This is serious."

The only responds he received was a groan of protest from under the blanket. Once again Vlad sighed at his fiancée's antics. He pulled down the blanket to her chin and tugged her in. He leaned over and pressed a soft kiss on her forehead. The halfa once more voiced out:

"I'll be staying today-"

"Again?" Michelangela protested, with her voice rough from all the coughing. "Your meetings-"

"They can wait." He shushed her with a gentle smile. "My main concern right now is your health. Now I want you to rest. I'll have the chef make your favourite soup."

The sick woman sent him a weak smile. She whispered:

"You're too good to me, amore **(2)**."

Vlad hid a sad smile. _I don't deserve you,_ he thought. _Out of every man out there, you chose me. No,_ _ **you**_ _have been too good to me._ The halfa wished he could say these words to her, but decided to keep it to himself. There may be a day when she learned how much she changed him, but not today. The silver headed man stood up and turned on classical music on low volume. The volume was loud enough so she can hear, but low so to blend into the background. His blue eyes watched her form relax, curled on her side into a tight ball. He left and closed the door behind him to allow her to sleep in peace.

-ooOOoo-

After he talked with the chef and called the doctor, Vlad sat down in his office. He worked on his paperwork, which he had to be complete for tomorrow. That was only after he called his secretary and told her to hold off the meetings again. He knew that his business partners wouldn't be happy. Yet, he didn't care. He'd rather be at home and look after his fiancée than be in the same room with business partners who didn't know how to smile. His thoughts wondered back to his sick fiancée. Michelangela planned for the last few days to start creating her wedding dress. But now, because of her fever, the plans got pushed back. It'd annoy her, but what could they do? The only thing that they _could_ do was for the doctor to check it out.

Vlad looked at the lone picture on his table. It was a recent picture of him and Michelangela. In the background were rows and rows of olive and grape trees of her parents' farm. His lover had the brightest smile on her face as she held up her hand with a simple, one diamond ring on it. Only moments ago he asked her for her hand in marriage. Vlad looked a bit flustered from the big kiss she gave him. His arm wrapped around her waist, but his blushing face looked away to the side. The person that took the picture was his future mother-in-law. It wasn't a good photo, due to his position, but it brought warmth to his heart every time he looked at it. It didn't take much to convince Michelangela to make a few copies. Her parents got a copy as well before they left back to America.

If anyone asked Vlad to make a statement about his future parents-in-laws, he'd say one thing. They were the warmest people that he ever met. After a few years of dating, Vlad decided that it was time that he met Michelangela's parents. He was nervous throughout the whole flight. The Italian woman tried to tell him that everything was going to be okay. He should have listened. He had the shock of his lifetime when her parents welcomed him with open arms. As they couldn't speak English all too well, most of his time there he spent speaking in Italian. But the small language barrier didn't stop them from getting to know him and he them.

It was an interesting experience. He decided at that time that he was happy to have left his ghost side of life behind. The day that they came back home, he shut down his ghost lab for good. All the ghost equipment and portal were under lock and key and the lab was still used, but for other things. His training room was still up and running, because he couldn't get rusted in case something happened. Aside from that, his ghost life got pushed to the back of his mind. And to make things better, he put away his old college photos that always reminded him of his darker past.

Vlad has never been happier.

 _Ding dong_

The master of the mansion glanced over at the clock on the wall. _It can't be Doctor Smith. I called her only half an hour ago. She said that she'll come after she's done with her 2 appointments._

 _Ding-ding-ding-d-d-d-ding dong_

Vlad's eyebrow twitched.

"Who in the blazes is at the door?"

He grumbled out loud and got up. As he walked down the hallways to the front entrance, one of his servants ran to him. The young man gasped for air as he stopped in front of Vlad. He gasped out:

"M-Master Vlad, y-you," He took in a deep breath. "You have visitors."

Silver eyebrows knitted in confusion. He asked:

"Visitors?"

"Y-Yes sir, Head Butler Matthew is with them. He let them in and told me to get you."

"And who are my visitors?"

"It's a family of a pair of parents and their son." Vlad froze for some odd reason as he tried to grasp the realization that was out of his reach. "One of them says he's name is Jack Fenton."

 _Oh no. Oh no, no, no!_ The halfa shouted in his mind. He resisted the urge to run his hands through his hair with frustration. _Why are they here_ _ **now**_ _of all times?_ They ignored each other for a few years, so why couldn't they do that for the rest of their lives? _Oh dear God, you must be testing my patience or something. If so, it's working._ His muscles tightened and he stood straighter with his hands grasped behind his back. This could not be happening. It had to be a joke. He bit out:

"Where are they?"

"Head Butler Matthew said that he'll take them to one of the sitting rooms. It's the closest one to the entrance."

"I will go, but I want you to do a few things for me. When Doctor Smith gets here I want you to take her to Angel, who's in our room. I also want you to go to the kitchen and see if the chef finished making the soup that I ordered. If he did, then take it to our room and give it to Angel."

"Y-Yes sir" The servant answered with a small bow. His voice filled with awe and surprise that the master of the mansion acknowledged him, a newbie. He continued with a more determined voice. "I won't disappoint you."

Vlad watched with amusements as the young butler ran off to do his orders. The amusements didn't last long. Not when he remembered a second later that he needed to go face his former friends and their son. He resisted the urge to rub his nose. This brought something that made him worry: Michelangela meeting the Fentons. She believed in ghosts, but didn't care in general. She has never seen a real one and for all she knew and cared, they appeared and looked like the ones in pop culture. It was the same thing with ghost hunters. She thought they were cool, but aside from that it was worthy of nothing more than a shrug of indifference. And their reaction to her sent an unpleasant shiver down his spine. Still, the chances of the Italian woman meeting the Fenton family were too high for his liking. What was he going to do with the family?

Vlad's troubled mind continued along this path as he walked to the closest sitting room to the front door. One of the doors got left open a bit. The older halfa's eyes sharpened as he took in the Fenton family. As mentioned, only Jack, Maddie and Danny arrived. The billionaire raised an eyebrow that the eldest daughter, Jasmine, wasn't there. In truth, he cared little. The first person he studied was Jack. His calm face twisted in disgust as he watched the other man eat a lot of the finger sandwiches handed to him. The head butler looked at him with disapproval, but kept a straight face. Appearance wise, he didn't change much. Vlad, unsure what was to happen next, looked at Maddie. She has also changed little, only this time around her hair got shortened a bit. A few years ago, his heart raced at the mere sight of her. Now, his heart continued steady as ever before without even a mere skip. This made him smile in relief. The last person he looked at has changed the most, Daniel Fenton. The 14 year old teenager that he knew has grown a lot. He appeared to be about the same height as his father. Under the baggy clothes, it was clear that he has developed some muscles. He appeared distrustful and suspicious. This made Vlad almost smile in amusements. He wasn't surprised at the reaction.

With a deep breath and tight hold on his patience and sanity, he walked in. All eyes turned on him.

"Vladdie!" Jack shouted as he got up and made his way to slap a hand on his back. Vlad dodged it. "Great to see ya again."

"Jack" Vlad gritted out. A few years ago, it would have been out of hatred. Now, it was mere annoyance. He decided to ignore the visitors, two who glared at him, and turned to the head butler. "Matthew, I wish to make a request."

"Yes, sir?"

The old man asked as he walked closer. His master whispered fast, hoping that the others didn't hear:

"Don't let Angel come down here. She's sick enough as it is and I won't have her meet them. Tell the others."

The butler gave a sharp nod and exited the room. Vlad turned back to the family and asked with neutrality:

"Mind indulging me on this surprise visit?"

"We haven't heard from ya for a few years now V-Man. Danny suggested that we come visit and check on you."

"Did he…?" The older halfa replied with a low tone and looked at the black headed young adult. He returned the suspicious look. "I appreciate your… concern. I have been quite busy lately."

"With what?"

Of course Daniel Fenton was the lead to the interrogation. The 18 year old young man got up and strolled over. The silver headed man only looked at him with interest, seeing that he was as tall as him now. Amusements followed suit as Maddie also stood up and walked up to him. The glare lessened in her eyes only for curiosity to replace it. Did he have any more leftover patience? Oh, look at that! Yes, yes he did. For how long was the question. He wasn't ready to let them know of his fiancée's existence, yet. If he had any say in this, they didn't know of each other, at all. But he knew that it wasn't going to happen. At least he could guide their attention somewhere else.

"My business, for one, my boy. If you look into the news, you'll learn that I have been expending my company in England, France, Germany and Italy."

"I heard you are going to become a trillionaire soon."

Maddie admitted.

"Of course he would, that's Vladdie for ya! Good on ya, my friend."

Jack boomed with a huge smile. This time, the silver headed man didn't manage to dodge the huge hand. He tumbled a bit forward before straightening his back. _Don't glare. Breathe. Stay calm. Stay patient._ Vlad reminded himself as he counted to 10, slowly.

"All that in a few years?"

Danny pressured with skepticism. His blue eyes narrowed when he realized that his ice core started to leak out. His eyes met the other halfa's, who also realized it.

"Brrr, is it me, or is it cold here?"

Maddie asked as she wrapped her arms around herself and shivered. Her husband shouted:

"Ghost! We must go to the Fenton Family Ghost Assault Vehicle!"

He grabbed his wife and both disappeared. _Why do I bother?_ The older male of the two wondered. _Why am I even surprised that they still don't know? Wait… they still don't know? How in the blazes did Daniel keep his identity a secret for this long?_ Vlad repeated with realization. The cold air around them grew worse. If not for his inner fire core, he would have frozen. He looked back at the young adult and watched as he shivered from his own ice inner core. _I can't believe how idiotic two geniuses can get._ He had to do something about the cold before Danny froze the whole household.

"Hold still"

"Wait, what-? AHHHHH" Danny screamed in pain as a ball of redness got shot into the middle of his chest. His legs collapsed underneath him, but Vlad caught him before he hit the ground. The older man looked around and transformed for the first time in a few years. He turned them invisible and levitated them into his office. At the office, the younger man was placed onto the couch. "W-What did you do to me?"

Danny asked as he caught his breath and realized he wasn't cold anymore.

"I put into you some of my fire inner core. It's to stabilize your powers for the time being. Now, mind explaining what is going on?" Vlad demanded with a soft tone. He should have realized that something was off the second the family came here. "Why are your powers still increasing?"

"I don't know!" The young man snapped. He stopped then looked down at his lap. This time, he whispered. "I don't know, not anymore. My powers have been acting up for the last year. I-I thought I could handle it… but I can't." His hands clenched into tight fists, shaking on his lap. "I almost turned Sam and Tucker into popsicle sticks a week ago. I locked myself up since then."

Vlad raised an eyebrow, knowing what was to come next. He continued off where the black headed young man stopped:

"And you came to me to learn how to control them."

"Yes"

Danny gritted out.

"I understand why only now you came, but why bring your parents?"

"You have been quiet, too quiet, for the last few years. I didn't know if you were busy plotting something evil or not. So I brought my parents to see if something changed, before I asked you for help."

"Hmmm…" The silver headed halfa hummed as he turned back to his human form. He rubbed his chin as he thought hard about all the new information. "I must applaud you, Daniel, for trying to manipulate me." Darker shade of blue eyes glared at the older man. He ignored them. "You said that you didn't know if I'm evil anymore or not. What do you think, now?"

Danny gritted his teeth harder, knowing what he was about to admit. He hated to say this, but he saw it with his own two eyes not even five minutes ago. He bit out:

"You haven't called my dad an idiot yet and you haven't flirted with my mom. You also haven't attacked me or tried to give me the whole speech about abandoning my dad to be your student. Did something happen?"

Vlad's amused smile melted away at the question. He studied the young man in front of him and debated whether to reveal the truth or not. With Jack and Maddie, he knew without a doubt that they'd do something stupid to Michelangela. Yet, Danny was a whole different story. He didn't hurt innocents, because of his hero persona. If anything, he'd be more suspicious and make a few comments, but nothing harmful. His Angel would be thrilled at the idea of a guest. Since his business has grown so much, for the last few months he had been quite busy. He spent most of his time at the office against his will, which in turn made his fiancée lonely. It'd also do some good for the boy to be with a female that didn't go on about ghosts. Danny might learn a few things as well outside of fighting. There was only one problem. How was he supposed to break the news to Michelangela? It was easy enough to explain that the young man would stay with them, but the problem with that was the 'why?'.

Vlad sighed and rubbed his forehead. As much as he'd want to keep his whole ghost life a secret, he couldn't abandon Danny when he came for help. A few years ago, he might shrug and said that the young man still needed to denounce his father. Now, he didn't care. Danny was the only other halfa in existence. It was of no surprise that Vlad felt protective of him.

"Fine, I'll take you on as a student."

"W-What?" Danny stuttered. "You don't want me to denounce my dad? You don't want me to stop being a hero? You aren't going to turn me into your mini-me fruitloop minion, are you?"

"Oh, ha-ha, funny." Vlad laughed with sarcasm. He walked over to his desk, picked up the lone photo and walked back. "No, I'm not going to do any of that. Not anymore, at least."

He continued with softness and handed over the photo. Danny took the photo. He expected to see his parents and Vlad in their college days, but to his surprise, it wasn't. His blue eyes widened in shock.

"W-Woh, who's the woman? Wait, is that a ring? What?"

"That, little badger, is my fiancée, Michelangela Aita."

The older halfa didn't hide his amusements as he watched the younger one tumbled onto the ground from shock. The silver headed man picked up the picture and cradled it with care. His eyes softened at the image of the woman, before they turned worried. He needed to check on her, since the doctor has yet to arrive. She might need something. After he placed down the picture, Vlad started to walk to the door. He sent over his shoulder a simple command to the younger man:

"Come"

Danny jumped to his feet and followed suit. He wondered where they were going, but there was something more important.

"Fiancée? You're not pulling my foot here, are you Fruitloop?"

"I assure you that I'm not."

"I-I don't understand." The young halfa stopped, forcing the older one to also halt in his steps. Blue eyes met, one confused and the other with patience. "When did you meet?"

"I was not lying when I said I left to Europe to expand my branches a few years ago, my boy." Vlad turned his whole body around to face Danny. "The last place that I went to was Italy. There, I met my Angel. I admit that I didn't find it amusing at first of her advances in trying to be my friend but…" He sent the younger man a genuine smile, which shocked the lad. "If it wasn't for her, I'd have stayed the same as I did for the last 20 plus years."

The black headed halfa blinked a few times as he took in the information. He still didn't get something.

"How…? How is it possible for her to change you so much?"

That question brought a deep chuckle from the older man.

"Sometimes I wonder as well." He turned back around and resumed the walking. Another pair of footsteps echoed behind him. "But if I have to choose one thing, it's that she offered me true friendship."

Silence fell between the duos for the time being. It stayed like that until they stopped in front of two massive doors. Vlad placed a finger over his lips in a shushing gesture, before he opened the door and walked in. Danny hesitated to follow suit. He decided to stay close to the door with his back to it. He looked on with surprise when the older man made his way to a figure that lay in a giant bed. Soft classical piano music played in the background. He settled on listening and observing. The figure coughed out loud in such a state that it made the 18 years old wince.

"A-Amore?"

A soft voice spoke out. Vlad sat on the edge of the bed and pulled down the cover a bit. He frowned with worry at the paler form in front of him. _She only got worse. Where's that doctor when you need her?_ He raised his hand to brush away some brown strands of hair from her sweaty forehead. His eyes hovered to the new object in the room, a breakfast table tray with a half-eaten soup on top.

"Yes, it's me." His blue eyes turned back to the woman. "You haven't eaten the whole soup."

"Non affamato **(3)** "

This wasn't good. She was less talkative from earlier and has lost whatever appetite she had left. He'd need to make another call. How on earth she grew worse in an hour he had no idea.

"I'll be back soon, Angel."

Michelangela gave a small, almost unnoticeable nod. She closed her eyes and tried to sleep more. The man stood up and grabbed the tray. It was no good cold. The minute the two walked outside and a maid walked by, Vlad gave the tray to her. He gave her simple orders to take it to the kitchen, which she did after a polite bow.

"What was that back there?"

Danny asked as he watched the man take out his cellphone.

"She's sick with a high fever. This is the fourth day in the row." The younger male was about to say something, but a finger was held up. "Hold that thought. Hello, may I speak with Doctor Smith?"

Vlad spoke into the phone. This left the younger halfa to his thoughts. He thought back to when the man in front of him walked into the room downstairs. The look in his eyes, he first believed, was that of anger. Anger at what, he didn't know. It could be that they came uninvited, but since when did that bother the older man? If Maddie, his mother, was there, then he'd be all smiles and cheerfulness. When he spoke to the butler in whispers, he caught only a few things, unlike his parents. _Don't let… come down. Sick… won't have… meet them. Tell the others._ Now it made a lot of sense, when he thought about it. Danny looked back to the room and winced once more as he heard another harsh cough. That Vlad didn't want them to meet her made some sense. If asked, Danny didn't like to introduce his parents to anybody either. It was in fear that they'd run off. He could only imagine how it was for the fruitloop in front of him.

"- good. I will see you then."

Vlad hung up and turned to face Danny.

"Daniel, do you have your things here with you?"

"No"

"Then you will have to head back and pack. Let us go and speak to your parents about your stay."

"What's the catch?"

Danny asked, unsure why he felt like there was one. He was right. Vlad's eyes flashed red for a moment.

"Do _not_ , under any circumstances, mention Michelangela."

The superhero of the duo put his hands up.

"Okay, I won't say anything. Not that I blame you."

"Good"

They walked down the long hallways to the front door. Only a few comments got passed between them.

"Hey Vlad?"

"Yes Daniel?"

"I'm… I'm glad to see you're finally happy."

-ooOOoo-

Vlad stayed shocked throughout the rest of the day from that comment. He has not expected that comment from his new and only student. There was no way that he could reply to it, as the 18 year old lad returns only next week. It was almost heartbreaking how easy it was to manipulate Jake and Maddie into allowing Danny to stay. Now that he had his head out of his ass, he saw for the people that they were. They were still some of the most brilliant people he has ever met. Yet, they tended to be quite airheads. There weren't a lot of negative outcomes that came from the discussion. He got a new student and his fiancée stayed a secret. Even better, they left before the doctor arrived.

The doctor wasn't sure what triggered the fever, but with the medicine it should be gone within the next few days. Vlad already saw some improvements in his lover. Her tanned skin returned bit by bit and her coughs lessened. There was some swelling to her throat, which could finally heal without the coughing in the way. The doctor cautioned him to not allow his fiancée talk too much for at least a week and have her suck on a lot of honey. She gave him a list of food she could and couldn't eat along with drinks. Aside from that, there weren't any other complications. It was better than he hoped.

It was late at night. Vlad couldn't sleep due to restlessness. His eyes were wide open, full of alertness. His mind raced with the events that happened today. Michelangela snuggled closer to him and buried her nose into his chest. His arm tightened around her, to provide some sort of comfort. It did, if the small sigh that escaped her lips said anything about it. The halfa wasn't concerned about getting sick. The last time he got sick was back in his college days before the accident. Ever since then it was near impossible. _How am I supposed to explain all this to her? I don't know how well she'll remember by next week. Knowing her, if she doesn't, she'll be firing questions at the speed of light._ Vlad paused as he realized the mistake. _No, first she'll be confused. Second, she'll pout at me for keeping Daniel a 'secret'._ _ **Then**_ _she'll start interrogating the both of us._ He thought with a chuckle. His lips met her forehead, only for them to turn into a grin against the skin.

Vlad missed her energetic self. Sick Michelangela brought nothing but worrisome at how lifeless she acted.

The figure in his arms moved again. Brown sleepy eyes looked up with confusion. The man noted with happiness that they looked less hazy than before. She mouthed his name, now with her voice almost gone. It made him frown for several reasons.

"What is it Angel?"

Michelangela raised her hand to rest it on his cheek. Her thumb rubbed against the skin. It made the man relax at her touches and lean against them. The hand stayed there only for a minute before it moved. A long forefinger poked his forehead with playfulness. The pout on her face and questioning brown eyes made him realize at what she tried to communicate. It made him roll his eyes.

"I'm quite alright. I only have something on my mind."

He didn't say anymore on the subject. This made her pout more pronounced. Her index finger twirled around a loose silver strand hair. She tugged on it enough to make a point. Vlad decided to tease her a bit, instead.

"I must say, you are quite energetic for a sick woman. Has sleeping all day given you a sudden energy boost?"

Michelangela let his hair go and pushed against his chest. It made him loosen his grip on her a bit and she took that opportunity to turn her back to him. Blue eyes danced in laughter at her usual energetic attitude. It made him happy to know that the medicine worked, if only a bit, for now. He turned her onto her back and pinned her under his weight, but he made sure not to crush her. His clothes didn't show it, but he gained a lot of muscles from the years of fighting as a ghost. His fiancée was more than pleased to know that she was the only one who knew about his muscles. It wasn't obvious to her until they first shared a bed together. Of course, it was only for sleep, but Vlad never went to bed with a shirt, she discovered. It also, to her horror and confusion, was when she first discovered his scars. To this day, he still hasn't told her how he got them. His lips hovered over hers in a teasing manner with a predatory smirk.

"Now, now, my Angel." He purred. "No need to turn your back on me."

Michelangela squeaked and turned bright red. It made Vlad smirk even more at the accomplishment. She tried to push him away, but didn't make him budge even a bit. Her hands got pinned to either side of her head.

"Since you have so much energy, how about a kiss? Hmmm?" Their lips brushed with featherlike touches. "I haven't received one from you for a while now."

She gave him a pointed look, but made no move of protest. If it wasn't for the fact he didn't get sick, she'd have fought harder. To her pleasure, he ignored her disapproval look. Instead, he crashed his lips against hers in a gentle but firm manner. Michelangela sighed against his lips and kissed back. Once her hands were let go, she wrapped them around his neck. Her fingers in one hand tangled in his soft hair, tugging on it to pull him closer. It made him growl in pleasure and kiss her harder. It almost made the woman want to smile with coy at the control she had over him. It brought her equal entertainment at the dares the two played together. Dare she say it, that she couldn't wait until after the wedding. It made her wonder at the things she could do to him to make him weak at the knees.

Michelangela laughed in breathlessness against his lips, which broke the kiss. Vlad looked down at her with a furrowed expression.

"What's so funny?"

He asked. She gave him a teasing smile, not bothering to hide her amusements. Her body language didn't give away to her dark thoughts. Her fiancée's strong fingers stroked her neck, which sent shivers down her spine. He hummed as he grabbed her chin to force her eyes to meet his. He grinned when she made a point to close her eyes. Vlad entertained at the thoughts that he could do to her, but decided against it. Only because she was a bit energetic now, didn't mean she'd have enough of it for tomorrow. It'd be best to let her rest. They could always play later. For now, his main concern was to tell her about Danny. But it could wait until she felt much better. It'd also give him time to figure out how to break it to her that he was a half ghost.

"As much as I want to continue to play games with you, we both need our sleep. Do you think that you can manage to sleep for the night?"

Michelangela looked up at him with the same concern as before. He grinned, his heart fluttered at the feeling that he mattered to someone.

"I will sleep as well, don't worry."

The couple shared one last soft, meaningful kiss. It made both of their hearts feel ready to shoot out of their chests. When they broke apart, they settled back to their previous sleeping positions. Vlad held her close to him, because, in truth, she was his life line to sanity and happiness. He whispered:

"You know that I love you, so much, right?"

Michelangela tilted her head up to look at him in the eyes. Her smile was gentle and eyes filled with nothing but love and care. With care, she whispered in return with a raspy voice:

"Ti amo anche, Vlad. **(4)** "

 **(1) Doctor**

 **(2) Love**

 **(3) Not hungry**

 **(4) I love you too, Vlad.**


End file.
